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Chapter 1: The Guilded City
Recap Before heading to Inabur, the Crew decide to take a quick stop by the crash site where Elric found them to see if they missed anything the first time around. While there, Yarith is able to gather that the ship that crashed among the trees was not very large, about the size of a pinnace, holding no more than 4-5 people at once – whether this is the infamous ship, the Ebongale, remains to be seen. By nightfall, the Crew arrive at Inabur, donning disguises as if they were second nature, and realize that they've come during the time of the Masterwork Festival – a city-wide event in which people from all over The Commonwealth of Devery come to peruse the finest of wares from the finest of crafters. Searching for a shadier neighborhood to lay low in, the Crew encounters a salesman of small blades. Upon hearing that theyare here to see Ferris and the Axvaal, the salesman directs them to the Three Hammers, a fine looking establishment. At the Three Hammers, Yarith and Bonesnap talk to the bartender, who informs them that with the exception of Bonesnap, they had stayed here three days earlier, presumably to talk to Ferris about the Boulder Job. The Bartender also comments on Bonesnaps' disguise as a high priest of the Raven Queen. Razorfin, under the pseudonym "Dravik," finds his way to a card-playing table and enters into a conversation with the players, one of which is a member of the Crown Arcanum – Irren. Irren, under the influence of alcohol, explains her theory that if only items made with The Craft (the term used by Crafters to describe handmade creations requiring great skill and personal effort, investment and energy) are capable of being imbued with magic, than perhaps these same items would be capable of storing the souls of the living and therefore creating the legendary sentient items she has read about in her books. That night, Razorfin also realizes he has a large, black serpent tattoo snaking its way around his upper arm. The next day, the Crew are led to the Council Hall by Ferris' assistant, Myra. At the Council Hall, they meet all five members of the Guilded Council, Ferris of the Axvaal, Mortise of the Asariyal, Heddle of the Moiral, Adze of the Hiramal and Calacatta of the Eureyal. The Crew are paid 5000 gold pieces (to be split among five crew members) and are also hired by the Council to investigate and eliminate a plot to create forgeries and counterfeit items in order to sabotage the reputation and livelihood of the city. The reward: selection from the winning crafts at the end of the Festival as chosen by the Council. After the council meeting, Heddle comes up to Yarith and notes how she reminds him of an old friend and asks him to do her a favor. Similarly, Calacatta and Adze ask for a favor, as does Ferris, each requesting the Crew to sabotage other members of the council. After the meeting, the Crew spend their gold pieces purchasing the finest weapons, armor and clothes that the Guilded City has to offer. They also question a shopkeeper on how he exactly became a victim to the counterfeiting scheme as well as his opinion of Aegis Security – the private company that has grown thanks to the counterfeiting. He mentions that Aegis Security was responsible for quelling the "Kenku problem" in the city. As the Crew splits up and do their shopping, another shopkeeper finds Nightmist, and hands her a list of names that Nightmist had asked the shopkeeper to look into the first time she visited the City. The only lead the shopkeeper found is that the current Patriarch of House Silverstaff, related to a Renault Silverstaff, had recently perished, and that one of the sons was looking for adventurers and sellswords to hire in the Town of Mossing. During the festival, a shop is attacked by a mysterious shipment of rust monsters and a black ooze, which immediately begin consuming all items in sight. The Crew engages in combat with the monsters, and manages to defeat them, albeit with the result of damaged weapons and discover that this shipment was delivered by Aegis Security. Back at the Axvaal Headquarters, and also the home of Ferris, the Crew explains their theory that Aegis Security is working with the presumed disappeared Kenku population and are behind the recent attack and the forgeries. Ferris is skeptical, and suggests they come back with proof. In addition, he also shows them his prized tribal tapestry with patterns depicting an old orcish tale and proverb, roughly translated as "Keep your eyes on your past, and the future to your back, for you are nothing and nowhere without a past." With the general consensus that the Crew would rather avoid upsetting any members of the Guilded Council, they decide to forego the sidequests, and instead seek out the shady salesman who first greeted them in Inabur. As they leave, they notice two Aegis Security Members and a hooded figure enter – presumably the changing of the guard at Ferris' Tapestry. The Crew finds the salesman where they last saw him, and after a ZONE OF TRUTH, he leads them to the location where he finds his wares: a dumpster behind the Aegis Security Headquarters. Looking into the dumpster, they also notice other crafts as well – pots, pans, small stone statuettes, and clothing. Yarith tails two guards and discovers that they are packing items into wooden crates and shipping the wagon out of the city. Razorfin and Nightmist enter the Aegis Security Office and find only papers detailing guard postings and a client list, which Bonesnap takes note of. There is also a floor to ceiling painting of a dwarf by the name of Ladrous Carven. Unable to find anything else of note, the Crew head away from Aegis Security, only to catch Adze sneaking off for what they assumed to be the company of women. They decide to follow him, picking up a paintbrush he dropped, and he leads them an unmarked building on the edge of city, next to the wall. They notice that the female laughter coming from the building plays on a loop every minute or so, and Razorfin peeks into the window, revealing an empty room with a hooded figure. With a strong suspicion of who or what this could be, Bonesnap strides up to the building, taking off his mask as he does so. The rest of the Crew scurry into hiding places, readying yourselves for the worst. Bonesnap knocks on the door and two black beady eyes peer forth. The door opens and before him stands a female Kenku. She looks surprised and says, "Bonesnap, is that really you? What are you doing here?" The Crew have uncovered Adze's secret: that he was teaching a group of Kenku how to paint. With the help of a young Kenku named Dripper, Bonesnap is reunited with the local Kenku flock in Inabur, or at least, what is left of them. Accompanied by Nightmist, Bonesnap is led down into the abandoned Marble Mines, where they are met with by the Flock leader, an old and large Kenku by the name of Lasher. Bonesnap explains to the Kenku that the Guilded Council has hired a group of dangerous people to track down and eliminate those involved with the forgeries. Lasher explains that the Kenku and Aegis Secuirty had made a deal, and were working together to disrupt the current Guilded System, allowing the Guildless and Kenku populations to take more power in Inabur. Lasher also expresses his wariness of Bonesnap's new allies, and questions Bonesnap's motivations, worrying for his well-being. Bonesnap replies that he trusts his crew, (despite the fact that he does not recall any of their past interactions) and Lasher agrees to have Bonesnap and Nightmist meet with the leader of Aegis Security, a dwarf named Vernon, in order to broker a deal. Meanwhile, Yarith and Razorfin keep to the shadows, observing the reunion from afar. Vernon arrives in the Marble Mines shortly thereafter, accompanied by two Aegis Security members pulling a wagon full of rust monsters, and accompanied as well by his cousin – Mortise, head of the Asariyal. After tense negotiations, and heartfelt appeals, Nightmist and Bonesnap manage to convince Mortise and Vernon to seek the Crew's support and assistance. The Crew decide to betray their current contract with the Guilded Council, and instead decide to protect and assist the Kenku population and Aegis as they carry out their plan. Razorfin is somewhat apprehensive of this backtracking on their current job, but is quelled by the assurance of the winning crafts as payment, as well as valuable information. If only things turned out that smoothly. Just as the deal is struck, the rest of the Guilded Council arrive, led by Ferris, Calacatta, and her pet Basilisk. Trying to maintain their previous allegiances, the Crew apprehend Mortise and Vernon. However, the Kenku, led by Lasher, surround the Council and a stalemate ensues. Not willing to let his fellow Kenku suffer under the Guilded Council, Bonesnap breaks into a rage and severely wounds Ferris in surprise. Before anyone is willing to react, the scene is interrupted by a giant rust monster, angry and hungry. Chaos ensues as the giant rust monster releases her children in crates, which begin attacking all the forgeries in the Kenku homes. The Guilded Council rushes to block off an exit to prevent the monsters from getting to the surface. The Crew pursue the Giant Rust Monster. After some well thrown spells, strategic thinking and a fantastic display of strength by Bonesnap, the Crew are victorious in defeating the Giant Rust Monster...just in time to see Irren arrive on the scene, and capture the rust monster's soul in a wooden spoon, proving her theory to be correct. The chaos ends, and the Crew return to the Kenku settlement to find the Guilded Council held prisoner, and Vernon, Mortise, and the majority of the Kenku Population alive. With a mix of revenge and curiosity, Bonesnap kills Calcatta's pet Basilisk in cold blood, but Irren is unable to store it's soul in Bonesnap's weapon – resulting in the axe shattering. Aegis Security puts the Guilded Council behind bars and renegotiates a new structure of governance for the city, one that allows the Kenku freedom from persecution and the Guildless more say in the running of Inabur. Bonesnap is hailed as a hero among the young Kenku population, but is viewed with increased wariness by the older generation – those who remember Bonesnap from before. The Masterwork festival ends with the presentation of the winning crafts, as announced by the shady salesman of small blades – Grant Tarny. Each of the Crew select a winning craft: Bonesnap selects twin Hand axes that can combine into a Greataxe, etched with the design of a Coatl with its wings outstretched. Razorfin selects gloves made out of the hide of a displacer beast. Yarith selects a pipe with various smokeable flora, and Nightmist selects a miniature Var Akunian chess set. You all decide it best to leave Calacatta's selection – a life-like miniature gargoyle statue, unclaimed. Mortise reveals that he has heard word that the Crew's ship, the Ebongale, was found crashed in the nearby Sapphire Lake, and impounded by the Crown Guard in the city of Grandstop. Before heading off to recover their ship, Bonesnap, Razorfin and Yarith meet up with Irren and express their concern regarding the ramifications of Irren's findings. Somewhat oblivious to the danger she finds herself in, Irren hands over the Wooden Spoon of Rusting, and offers the ritual necessary for sealing a soul in a masterwork item, on the condition that the Crew share any of their findings with her. Irren also cautions the crew not to imbue multiple souls in an item, as that would be detrimental to the container of the souls and could result in unknown consequences. With that, Irren leaves with the rest of the Crown Arcanum initiates back to Somnahelm to deliver her newfound discovery to the Crown Arcanum. Bonesnap meets one last time with Lasher, who cautions Bonesnap to be careful on his journey. Bonesnap also discovers what actually transpired during the night of the Flying Carpet Fiasco. Yarith finds an unfrequented tavern in a shady part of Inabur – the Crumbled Block, and agrees to support the tavern with the purpose of using the building as a base of operations and to gather additional information regarding your stolen memories and opportunities to purchase magical items from the ever elusive Black Market. Nightmist has a strange dream/vision in the middle of the night where she is surrounded in fog and three mysterious figures, who say some cryptic things before disappearing. The next day, the Crew hop on to one of Mortise's Caravans heading to Grandstop. After expressing his thanks, giving a word of warning, and wishing them all best of luck on recovering their ship, he sees the Crew off as they head towards Grandstop. NPCs met Notable Items Obtained